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Lets go back. To a time when we didn’t spend more than half of our days on a computer or phone. To when we actually had real conversations with our family and friends. To when, instead of sending someone a text, we would stop at their house just to say hey–to when it wasn’t socially strange to do so. To when we actually remembered the birthdays of our family and friends. To writing letters to the people we love instead of a Facebook message (there’s something about a letter that’s so much more personal and exciting to receive than a message on Facebook–but that’s a whole other topic).

There are times when I wish that I lived in a day without all of this technology. In a world that wasn’t so “connected” as we are. In a time when we had to talk to and get to know people to become friends, not just click confirm on a computer screen. I wish I lived in a world that was more personal than this world has become. Where people didn’t need Facebook to remind them of birthdays, but instead, cared enough to remember and give those people a phone call. To let them know that they care, that they’re still here.

In my opinion (though it might not mean much), we are too connected. Everything is at our fingertips. No effort required. We can have face to face conversations with people half way around the world over a computer or phone. We can buy things with the click of a button. We have the ability to contact anyone, anywhere, in the palm of our hand. Yeah, that technology might be cool, but we rely on it so much. We are so dependent on these devices that we wouldn’t know what to do without them. We as a society wouldn’t be able to function. It’s sad.

Let’s go back to when things were simpler. More personal. Let’s spend time with the people we love and not be tempted to take out our phone and talk to someone else. Let’s cherish the time that we get to be in the presence of the people we care about. Let’s stop taking for granted the people that are right here right now.

We’ve forgotten the power of a conversation in person with those that we love. We forget to look at the beauty that exists outside of a computer screen. We’ve stopped taking in the incredible sights that we pass everyday. It’s like we’re stuck living in this virtual world when the real world is right there in front of us.

I’ve recently been noticing how much time I waste–yes, waste–on the computer and my phone everyday. And doing what? Nothing. Scrolling through looking at Facebook statuses, Tweets, and Instagram pictures of people I haven’t talked to in years or celebrities I’ve never met when I have family and friends that I could be spending time with. Making memories with. What memories are you going to make with your computer or phone? None. It’s the people in our lives that make experiences memorable. I’ve wasted too much time being distracted from the things that really matter.

It’s not easy to give these things up. It’s not even that we need to completely give them up. I guess this technology has become a part of our identities in a way. But it is important to remember that it’s not everything. To take a step back and realize that it’s not worth it to have these things take over our lives as they so often do. It shouldn’t come to the point where we don’t know what to do with ourselves when our phone breaks. Or when we spend hours a day on Facebook or Twitter. Or when we happen to be somewhere where there’s no phone service. It’s not the end of the world. There is so much more to life. There is so much more to see. To experience. But when we’re so distracted with these things, we don’t take the time to look.

If you feel the way I do and want to spend your time living your life instead of wasting the time that you have, I encourage you to try it. We’ve lost sight of what’s really important. The people in our lives. They matter more than we may realize. When you’re with friends or family, have everyone put their phones in a bowl or a box or on a counter so that they’re not tempted to use them while you’re spending time together. Cut down on the time you spend on the computer everyday. Be around people. Call up a friend or stop by a friends house just to say hey. Write a letter. Learn something new. Read a book. Journal. Go for a walk. Look at this beautiful world that we live in. There is so much beauty to be seen if we just open our eyes to see it. Life is short. We need to stop wasting it.